9/24/2014

“The
Declaration of Independence of 1776 was a direct result of the preaching of the
evangelists of the Great Awakening,” was the determination of the late Harvard
professor, Perry Miller. But what was it about the preaching of Jonathan
Edwards, Gilbert Tennant, George Whitefield and others that would lead this Harvard professor, a recognized expert in Puritanism and early American
history, to make such a statement?

In considering
this question over a number of years, it has become obvious that it was not the
act or style of preaching, for there were very diverse styles; from Jonathan
Edwards, who wrote out his sermons and read them in a monotone voice without
movements or gestures, to George Whitefield who preached extemporaneously with
much fire and movement.

Has Style
Preempted Substance in Modern Preaching?

This also led me
to question whether, in our day, style has not taken precedence over substance in our preaching; and if technique has not preempted content? I recall inviting a young preacher to speak in a
meeting I was conducting. At one point in his message, he became very
flamboyant; standing on a chair, waving his arms and shouting. I thought to
myself, “He has run out of anything to say and is trying compensate for it.”

Sure enough,
later that evening in the hotel, this person said to me, “There was a point in my
message tonight where my mind seemed to go blank.” I asked, “Was that when you
climbed up on the chair?” With a note of surprise in his voice he asked, “How
did you know?” It reminded me of the preacher who was preparing his 3 point
sermon, and realized that Point 3 needed to be buttressed. In the margin next
to that point he wrote, “Weak point; pound pulpit.”

The Message
Matters

In researching
and considering this, it has become clear that it was the message itself that Edwards, Whitefield and others preached
that brought the results. We should not be surprised for this is what Paul
tells us in I Cor. 1:18; that it is not the mere act of preaching that produces
fruit for the kingdom of God, but the message that is preached. Style may stir
the emotions, but it can never change the heart. In fact, Paul says that if we
go too far in trying to make the message cool, hip, and acceptable to
contemporary culture, we run the risk of preaching a Gospel that isemptied of its power.

The Great
Awakening, of course, had its problems and excesses as does any revival, and as
does any Christian movement. Nonetheless, my research leads me to say that the
results of the Great Awakening should be credited to the message that was
preached, backed by much prayer, and to messengers who lived like they believed
what they preached.

Below, I have
delineated 7 emphases that made up the message they preached. This message
transformed colonial America and, according to Perry Miller, led to the
Declaration of Independence of 1776. Perhaps there are lessons we can learn
from their example as we pray for another Great Awakening in our land.

Their
Message

1) God is a
great, majestic and holy Being who created all things and to whom all creatures
owe their love, honor, and respect.

2) Adam and Eve,
our first parents, rebelled against their Creator and went their own way,
dragging their posterity down with them into the abyss of sin and judgment,
into what, in historical theology, is known as “the fall.”

3) The human
race in its current state is a rebellious and fallen race. All people stand
guilty and condemned before an infinitely just and holy God.

4) God in His
sovereign mercy and grace now offers full pardon and forgiveness of sins to all
who will put their faith in Jesus Christ the Savior whom God, in His sovereign
grace, sent to die on the cross for our sins and to rise again for our
salvation.

5) Get rid of
faulty foundations. They emphasized that many professing Christians had built
their faith on faulty foundations, such as church membership, good deeds,
family pedigree, social status, and cultural refinement. They emphasized that
these old foundations must be overturned and faith in Jesus Christ alone must
be laid as the only foundation for righteousness and acceptance with God.

6) There must be
a new birth. They emphasized that when one truly believes in Christ there is a
work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit that occurs in the heart—a new
birth—from which springs new desires and aspirations that are godly, producing
a whole new tenor of life. They believed that one would be forever changed by
this new birth, and the changed behavior they called the fruit of righteousness
and faith.

7) They
emphasized the eternal bliss in heaven for all who truly trust in Christ and
the eternal suffering and damnation of all those who refuse God’s gracious gift
of salvation in Christ.

America’s First National Event

The Great Awakening had
a pervasive impact throughout colonial America. Entire cities were transformed.
In his Autobiography, Benjamin
Franklin describes the wonderful change that came over his hometown of
Philadelphia, saying, “From being thoughtless and indifferent about religion,
it seemed as if all the world was growing religious so that one could not walk
through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different
families of every street” (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage, 53).

It was the first time
the colonists of different ethnicities, denominations and languages had
participated together in a single event. Franklin said of Whitefield’s outdoor
meetings, “The multitudes of all sects and denominations that attended his
sermons were enormous.” Denominational and ethnic walls came down and for the
first time they saw themselves as a single people with one Divine destiny—one
nation under God, as Whitefield prayed.

The preaching of the
evangelists of the Great Awakening tended to democratize Colonial society by
putting everyone on the same level—guilty sinners before God—with only one
remedy for all—unfeigned faith in Jesus Christ. We can see the fruit of this in
the American Constitution where in Section 9 the Founders forbade the American
government from granting honorific titles of nobility to anyone and forbade
anyone holding a government office from accepting a title or office from a foreign
king or state without the consent of Congress. There was to be no aristocracy
in the new nation.

Conclusion

America is probably
facing its greatest crisis since the Civil War. It is a crisis on multiple
levels—moral, spiritual, political and social. While many Christians hold out
hope for a political solution, the First Great Awakening would inform us that
only a new commitment to preach Biblical truth in love and in the power of the
Holy Spirit will bring the change that America must see in the days ahead.

After all, it was not
some newfangled revelation that was preached by Edwards, Whitefield and others. It was an old message made alive through prayer and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It was the same message
preached by those first apostles and followers of Jesus, and found in our New
Testament. It saved our country before, and it can do it again.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, Bible teacher and ordained minister with a passion to see another Great Awakening for America and the world. This article was derived from his book, America's Revival Heritage, available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.

9/15/2014

By now you have
probably heard about the firestorm of controversy Victoria Osteen ignited by
her statement that our obedience and worship are not really for God, but for
ourselves. I am not a fan of the Osteens and I have not watched their telecast
in years; but I believe they are good, decent people who want to reach as many
people as possible with the Good News of Jesus.

But this is precisely
where we have to be cautious; for in trying to make the Gospel palatable and
likeable to contemporary culture, we run the risk of preaching a Gospel that is
void of power. Paul emphasizes this in I Corinthians 1:17 where he says that
Christ did not send him to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not
with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power(NIV).

Paul seems to be saying
that if we over-do it in trying to make the Gospel more snappy, hip, cool, and
attractive to contemporary culture, we run the risk of preaching a gospel that
has been emptied of its power. Could this be happening in American
Christianity?

Purge the Message

Some years ago Sue (my
wife) and I attended an intensive, week-long doctoral seminar on World Missions
which was part of our doctoral work in the School of Divinity at Regent
University. About forty pastors and Christian leaders attended this intense
week-long, eight-hour per day seminar.

All week we discussed
and heard lectures on “how-to” methods for bringing closure to the Great
Commission. We heard lectures on the importance of “contextualizing” the
Gospel, i.e., putting it in the
context of a particular culture to make it more palatable and acceptable. We heard
about, and discussed, various strategies and methodologies for funding missions
and how to motivate others to be involved.

On Thursday at about 4
p.m., someone suggested that we pray. Sue put her head on the table at which we
were sitting, feeling relieved that she could close her eyes and rest and no
one would know the difference. God, however, had other plans. The Spirit of God
hit her like a bolt of lightning and she began to weep and intercede in the
Spirit.

It was an intense
moment and out of that time of prayer, God spoke a clear message that has
become a guiding principle for our lives and ministry. He said;

There is enough money
and resources available to carry the Gospel Message to the whole world; and all
week you have been preoccupied with strategies and methodologies for taking My
Message to the world. However, I am concerned about the Message you are
taking. I want to purge the Message.

God got our attention
that day and made us realize that our focus had been misdirected. While we were
preoccupied with strategies and methodologies for success in carrying the Message,
God was concerned about the Message itself.

Paul Knew the Power of a Purged
Message

Paul would probably not
“make it” as a preacher in our celebrity-driven, North American Christian culture, where the packaging of the message seems to have precedence over the message itself.
One ancient writer described Paul as an unattractive wiry little man,
bow-legged, with a long hooked nose and bushy eyebrows that grew together across his
forehead. By Paul’s own admission he was a poor speaker and in I Corinthians
4:11 he described himself as being, poorly
clothed, beaten and homeless. Paul, however, had an edge because he knew he
had a Message that was infused with Divine power.

Paul highlights the
power of the Message by contrasting it with the weakness and frailty of the
messenger, i.e., himself. For
example, in I Corinthians 1:3, he reminds the Corinthians how when he first
came to them, I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
The Greek word for “weakness” is astheneia
and means to be frail, powerless and without strength. The word “fear” is a
translation of the Greek word phobo
from which we get “phobia” and means to be afraid, fearful, and struck with
terror. The phrase “much trembling” is from the Greek word tromo from which we get “trauma” and means to shake and tremble
with fear.

In other words, when
Paul arrived in Corinth, he did not come across as a cool, hip, and with-it
individual. He certainly did not fit the modern (distorted) concept of a great
apostle or man of God about to take a city for God. He did not attract people
to himself by his charming, charismatic personality. Neither did he wow them
with great oratorical sermons. He sounds, by his own description, like an
emotional basket case wracked with weakness, fear, and trauma.

The one thing Paul had
going for him when he arrived in the immoral, idolatrous city of Corinth was that
he knew he had a clear distinct Message from heaven. And he was determined to stay
on message, for he reminded the Corinthians that when he arrived in that
weakened state, he had determined not to
know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

What was the result? He
tells us himself that there was a mighty demonstration of God’s power in
Corinth and a flourishing (if somewhat rowdy) church emerged in that city that
prompted at least two letters from Paul and some scholars think as many as
four.

Conclusion

The temptation is to modify
and shape the message to fit the sensibilities and tastes of contemporary culture.
This is a temptation we must avoid. If we have yielded to this temptation, we
must allow the Lord to purge the message we are proclaiming. In Christianity,
the Message is of paramount importance.

Jesus did not leave His
followers with a method, a strategy or an organizational model to follow. He
left them with a Message and promised the empowering of the Holy Spirit as they
took His message to the world. Early Christianity conquered the ancient world,
not with political or military might, but with a Message. In all our planning
and strategizing to reach this generation with the Gospel, it is of utmost
importance that we make sure that it is His Message that we are presenting.

I pray that every
preacher, teacher, writer and blogger in America will bring the message they proclaim
before God and allow Him to do any necessary purging. This is of utmost
importance for the power to change lives is in the Message itself as Paul said
in Roman 1:16, For I am not ashamed of
the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who
believes. Proclaiming a purged message is, I believe, a key for seeing another great Spiritual awakening in America.

Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is an author, historian and Bible teacher. This article is derived in part from his latest book, PURSING POWER: How the Quest for Apostolic Authority & Control Has Divided and Damaged the Church, available from Amazon and his website athttp://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.

9/04/2014

Deliver those
whoare drawn toward death, and hold backthosestumbling
to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” does not He who
weighs the hearts considerit? He who
keeps your soul, does Henotknowit? And
will Henotrender
toeachman
according to his deeds?(Proverbs 24:11-12).

Do not
withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your
hand to do so(Proverbs 3:27).

Dear Mr. President,

Your
tepid response to the genocidal slaughter of Christians in Iraq and Syria is frightening.
Your hesitancy and tentativeness in formulating a clear strategy to end this butchery
of innocent people is alarming. Mr. President, with all due respect for you and
the office you occupy, you have a moral responsibility before God to stop the
slaughter of innocent men, women and children by the ISIS fanatics in the
Middle East.

The
power that comes with the presidency is not about privilege; it is about
responsibility. God places kings, prime ministers and presidents in positions
of power to resist the evil in this world and rescue those who are abused and
victimized by evil. God will hold you accountable for how you use the power with which you were entrusted by the American people.

Romans 13:1-5 makes it clear that God expects
government officials to use the power at their disposal to instill fear and terror in those who are evil. Verse 4
goes so far as to call the one in your position, An avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Mr.
President you have a moral obligation from God to use the power at your
disposal to stop the ISIS evil—to put an end to their genocidal crucifixions
and beheadings of innocent men, women and children.

I have
no question that a strategic operation to rescue the poor people who are being
slaughtered by ISIS would have the approval of heaven and the majority of the
American people. I and millions of others would pray for the quick success of
such an operation, which would not only rescue thousands from the current
genocide, but would stop ISIS from carrying out plans to attack the American
homeland.

I
realize that Washington D.C runs on sleazy politics on both sides of the
political aisle, but this cannot be a decision based on political calculations.
Politics must be set aside. This is a decision that must be made based on a
moral imperative to rescue those being led away for slaughter. It is a decision
that must be made with more concern for what God thinks than what politicians,
lobbyists and the media think. I pray you have the courage to make such a
decision.

Mr.
President, there comes a time in everyone's life when they must choose
between what is right, and what is comfortable and politically convenient. That
time has come to Washington D.C. I pray that you and your colleagues, both
Democrat and Republican, will have the moral courage to stand for truth, choose
what is right, and use the power at your disposal to stop the genocidal rape
and slaughter of innocent people.

My
prayers are with you as you make this decision.

Sincerely,

Eddie
L. Hyatt

Dr. Eddie
L. Hyatt is an author, historian, and Bible teacher. He is the author of several books on Spiritual Awakening including AMERICA'S REVIVAL HERITAGE: How Christian Reformation & Spiritual Awakening Led to the Formation of the United States of America, available from Amazon and hiswebsite at http://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.

9/02/2014

Revival-Prophetic Movement that Lost its WayThis article was derived from 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity by Eddie L. Hyatt and published by Charisma House

I
received an email earlier today from a Christian leader in another country expressing concern about the over-emphasis on
personal prophecy for direction in life. It motivated me to pull out an article
I had written about 12-14 years ago on the topic and send to this person. But as I read over the article again, I was impressed at how vital it is for today, and I decided to do an edit, adding "Biblical
Insights" to thehistorical section. I pray this new edition will be a wake-up call to this
generation and remind us of the Biblical admonition to test the spirits
whether they be of God for many false prophets have gone out into the
world (I John 4:1).Prophetic ministry has great potential for blessing and building up the people of God. But when abused and misused, it has the same potential to trouble and destroy. In order to derive the greatest benefit from prophetic ministry, we need both the guidelines of Scripture and the lessons from history to point the way.

The following information is drawn
from a document written around 1560 by Obe Philips, a leader in the sixteenth century Anabaptist movement that sought the restoration of New Testament
Christianity. Philips was commissioned as an “apostle” in this movement and he
commissioned others to this “office.” The document, entitled “Confessions,” describes
events in Europe in the 1530s. From this document I have delineated 5 warning
signs from their experience that can help us avoid the tragic mistakes that
produced such great suffering and distress for them.

Warning Sign #1

When prophecy is used to enhance the status of a
movement and its leaders

1517-1537 was a very exciting time
for many Christians in Europe. A great spiritual reformation was under way and
many believed that God was restoring the church to its original purity and
power. Many believed that out of this restoration would come a great revival
and harvest that would usher in the coming of the Lord and the end of the age.

In the midst of this end-time,
revival atmosphere, individuals began to arise proclaiming themselves to be
special end-time apostles and prophets endowed by God with miraculous power to
usher in His kingdom upon the earth.

One of the most prominent of these
“apostles” was Melchoir Hoffman, a powerful preacher and teacher who gained a
large following. His status was further enhanced when a prophetess saw in a
vision a large white swan, larger and more beautiful than all the others, swimming
in a beautiful river. She claimed it was revealed to her that the swan was
Hoffman and that he represented the fulfillment of God’s promise in Mal. 4:5 to
send Elijah before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Biblical Insight:Beware of anyone who uses prophecy to promote themselves, their ministry or their teaching. The Holy Spirit has come lift up Jesus and draw all humanity unto Him. We must remember the words given to
John by the creature at his side in Revelation 19:10. Overwhelmed at the sight
of a vast heavenly host worshipping and praising God, John fell at the feet of
his heavenly escort to worship him, who immediately stopped him and said, See that you do not do that. Worship God!
For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus. And in John
16:13 Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit would come, He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to
you. Beware of anyone who uses prophecy to promote themselves, their ministry or their teaching. The Holy Spirit has come lift up Jesus and draw all humanity unto Him.

Warning Sign #2When prophecy becomes the primary means
for determining the will of God

Another individual prophesied that
Hoffman would be imprisoned for six months in the city of Strasbourg and, after
that, his ministry would spread over the whole world. Based on the prophecy,
Hoffman moved to Strasbourg where he began to preach and teach throughout that
city.

The first part of the prophecy was
fulfilled when the Strasbourg authorities arrested Hoffman and had him
imprisoned. Philips says that he entered the prison “willingly, cheerfully, and
well comforted,” convinced that the latter part of the prophecy would now soon
come to pass.

While in prison, Hoffman wrote many
letters which Philips says came every day describing “how his actions, his
visions and revelations affected him.” One individual prophesied that at the
end of his six month imprisonment, Hoffman would depart Strasbourg with 144,000
true apostles endowed with such miraculous power that no one would be able to
resist them. Elated with such prophetic predictions, Hoffman vowed that he
would take no food other than bread and water until the time of his
deliverance.

Six months passed, however, and he
was not released. More time elapsed and he found it necessary to break his
fast. Hoffman eventually died in prison, a very disillusioned man. Philips says;

Everything that he so boldly
professed from the prophets and prophetesses, he, in the end, found it all falsehood
and deception, in fact and in truth; and he was so deceived with all their
visions, prophecies, commission, dreams, and Elijah role that my heart today
feels pity for his on account of this distress of his soul.

Biblical Insight: It is clear from Scripture that
personal prophecy is not for giving direction in life. There is not a single
example of such in the New Testament. The only example of a personal prophecy
giving direction is in Acts 21:4 where certain disciples, by the Spirit, told Paul, who was on his way to Jerusalem, not to go up to Jerusalem. What did Paul
do? He ignored what they said and continued on to Jerusalem. Prophecy must
confirm what we already know in our heart and Paul had already purposed in the Spirit to go to
Jerusalem (Acts 19:21).

Warning Sign #3

When prophecy is preoccupied with images, numbers, and symbols

Prophetic dreams and visions
flourished in this movement. These dreams and visions predicted many remarkable
things related to the establishing of God’s kingdom and the destruction of the
wicked. Much of this information was given in symbolic form which had to be
interpreted by those who were “spiritual.” Philips says,

One came dragging a wagon without
wheels, another wagon had three wheels, one wagon had no shaft, some no horses,
some no recognizable driver, some had but one leg, some were lepers and
beggars, some wore a tunic or a cloak with a lappet of fur. All this they could
interpret for the brethren in a spiritual sense

These prophecies, dreams and visions
predicted remarkable successes for the people of God, including a
super-empowerment of the Spirit by which they would be enabled to overcome the
wicked and establish the kingdom of God in the earth. In his very moving
account of these matters, Philips says,

Now when these teachings and
consolation with all the fantasies, dreams, revelations and visions daily
occurred among the brethren, there was no little joy and expectation among us,
hoping all would be true and fulfilled, for we were all unsuspecting, innocent,
simple, without guile or cunning, and were not aware of any false visions,
prophets, and revelations.

Biblical Insight: In the New Testament God communicates
very clearly and precisely to His people. When He spoke to Ananias in a vision
about going and praying for Paul, God gave him precise instructions (Acts 9:10-12).
He told Ananias the name of the man he was to pray for, the name of the man in
whose house Paul was staying and the precise street address. When God does speak
in a symbol or image, it is for the purpose of communicating a more clear and
vivid message. It is never done as a riddle that must be searched out and solved.
God wants to communicate clearly with His children.

Warning Sign #4

When those prophesying are not open
to testing and/or correction

During this time, two new apostles
arrived in Philips’ home town of Leeuwarden. They declared that they had been
commissioned to the apostolic office with such signs, miracles and workings of
the Spirit that words failed them to describe it. They also declared that, “In
a short time God would rid the earth of all shedders of blood and all tyrants
and the godless” (Philips, 216).

Philips says that they frightened the
people so that no one dared speak against them for fear they would be speaking
against the commission and ordination of God. “For we were all guileless
children and had no idea that our own brethren would betray us.”

Biblical Insight: False prophets are unteachable and
unwilling for their prophecies to be evaluated and tested, as Scripture
commands. Virtually every time New Testament Scriptures speak of prophecy, they
also speak of evaluating and testing the prophecy, which is the responsibility
of every believer. I Thessalonians 5:19-21, for example, says, Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise
prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is God. I Corinthians 14:29
says, Let two or three prophets speak and
let the others judge. And in this same vein of thought, I John 4:1 says, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have
gone out into the world.

Sign #5

When prophecy becomes a replacement for the Scriptures and common sense

The tragic end
of this prophetic movement came when, based on dreams, visions, prophecies, and
supposed angelic visitations, a number of these visionaries claimed that God
had designated the city of Munster as the New
Jerusalem and from there the kingdom of God would spread through all the
earth. Philips says, “Some had spoken with God, others with angels—until they
got a new trek under way to Munster.” Based on the prophecies and supposed
visions, they went to Munster and took the city by force from the Catholics who
controlled it and renamed it New
Jerusalem.

The Catholics,
however, quickly regrouped and regained control of the city. They wasted no
time in inflicting a terrible slaughter on those apostles, prophets and their
followers who believed they were setting up the kingdom of God on the earth.

This whole
fiasco resulted in widespread persecution of all Anabaptists who were hunted
down, imprisoned, hanged, burned, and drowned. Philips later lamented his role
in the extremes of this movement. He wrote,

It is this which
is utter grief to my heart and which I will lament before my God as long as I
live, before all my companions, as often as I think of them. At the time that I
took leave of those brethren, I had warned Menno and Dietrich and declared my
[apostolic] commission unlawful and that I was therein deceived. I thank the
gracious and merciful God who opened my eyes, humbled my soul, transformed my
heart, captured my spirit, and who gave me to know my sins. And when I still
think of the resigned suffering which occurred among the brethren, my soul is
troubled and terrified before it.

Biblical Insight: In Psalm 119:105
David said, Your word is a lamp to my
feet and a light to my path. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the
wilderness to doubt His identity, He responded to each temptation with, It is written, and then quoted the
appropriate passage of Scripture. John Wesley, who saw many unusual spiritual manifestations
as the leader of the 18th century Methodist revival, said, “Try all
things by the written word, and let all bow down before it.”

Conclusion

This 16th
century prophetic movement highlights the need to “test the spirits” and to “judge”
prophetic utterances according to the Scriptures. For the most part, these were
sincere, seeking people who suffered much pain, grief and even death because
they neglected this Biblical admonition. May we learn from their example and
not repeat their mistakes.

Dr.
Eddie L. Hyatt is an author, historian and Bible teacher. His current mission
is “Revive America,” a project committed to laying the Biblical and historical
foundation for another Great Awakening in America. His website is http://www.eddiehyatt.com.

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LAYING THE BIBLICAL & HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR ANOTHER GREAT SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

In 2010 Dr. Eddie Hyatt experienced a visitation from God lasting some 7-8 hours in which he was assured that America "could" see another Great Spiritual Awakening that would alter the course of the nation. Out of that experiecne came the book, "Pilgrims and Patriots," that Pat Robertson called " a must-read." From the book, Dr. Hyatt developed a PowerPoint presentation entitled "America Reawaekning," that in 3 sessions, documents how this nation was birthed out of prayer and spiritual awakening. If you would like to sceudule one of these events, you can email him at dreddiehyatt@gmail.com.